The present invention relates to a support cradle for use with pierced earrings.
Earrings as mounted on a wearer's earlobe through the use of a penetrating post tend to exert stresses on the wearer's earlobe as caused by the weight of the earring on the earlobe and the length of time the earring is mounted in place thereon. Quite frequently, the stresses as produced by the weight of the earring can be painful to the wearer and in some instances have even resulted in tearing of the opening in the wearer's earlobe through which the post of the earring extends.
Prior to the instant invention, there has not been any special provision for combating the stresses as created by the weight of the earring worn by the wearer, and if such stresses do cause pain or discomfort in the wearer's earlobe, the only solution has been for the wearer to simply remove the earring from her earlobe. Many of the older style of pierced earrings such as illustrated in the Hubash U.S. Pat. No. 511,952 include a loop or bow that interconnects the ornament portion of the earring to a portion that extends in back of the wearer's earlobe and that receives a post therein. However, this type of construction does not in any sense contemplate supporting the wearer's earlobe and is principally utilized for locating the loop or bow in that position that would be inherent from the placement of the piercing post through the wearer's earlobe. In most instances, the underloop or bow of these prior known constructions that interconnects the ornament portion of the earring to a portion that extends in back of the wearer's earlobe is for the purpose of supporting the ornament in place, or in some instances may function as an ornamental portion of the earring. Insofar as applicant is aware, there has not been any prior device that was specifically designed to support the earlobe during the wearing of an earring to alleviate stresses on the earlobe as produced by the weight of the earring.
Other devices known to applicant and that represent the most relevant prior art of which applicant is aware with respect to the subject invention are illustrated in the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 619,444; Shea U.S. Pat. No. 1,576,372; Mittendorf U.S. Pat. No. 2,510,211 and Musillo U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,131. None of these latter named patents show or teach the concept of applicant's invention.
As will be described hereinafter, the subject invention is designed to reduce the stress exerted on the wearer's earlobe when an earring is mounted thereon and also resists tearing of the opening in the earlobe that can be caused by the weight of the earring as carried by the wearer's earlobe.